Can I pray for you in any way?
Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com
In Christ, Mark
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk
** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn
** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.”
But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.
There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and showed us generous hospitality for three days. His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him.
When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured. They honored us in many ways; and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed. After three months we put out to sea in a ship that had wintered in the island—it was an Alexandrian ship with the figurehead of the twin gods Castor and Pollux.
Acts 28:3-11
This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
“I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.” Acts 27:22-26
Everything Paul had told the people, while onboard the Alexandrian ship as it was besieged in a terrible storm, came to be. Not one of them was lost even though the ship was destroyed. All 276 people escaped the shipwreck and ended up on the island of Malta where they were shown hospitality by the islanders there.
I can’t help but wonder about the impact Paul had on those 276 people, many of which probably had religious beliefs different from the apostle. In fact, I’m sure a majority of the passengers onboard the ship headed for Rome prayed to whatever god they worshipped on more than one occasion as the ship was battered by the strong winds and waves. While their prayers were unanswered, the God of Paul was the One who took them to safety and I can’t help but think that many of those who stood alive on the solid ground of Malta were ready to switch their religious allegiance to the God (capital “G”) that Paul followed.
This is why the whole sequence of events at sea happened in the first place. God could have granted safe passage to Italy and then Rome for all who were onboard but that wouldn’t necessarily have changed anything in regard to the belief systems of the passengers. Our Lord often creates situations of adversity, situations that are out of the control of His people, so to lead them to place their full faith and trust in Him. The storm, Paul’s exhortation and promise of safety, and the ensuing shipwreck near an island where 276 people could get to safety were all a part of God’s plan. He always moves in a way where His purposes will be fulfilled.
With this truth in hand, we turn to Malta and the predicament Paul and the others now find themselves in. All were on their way to Italy but their ship was now gone and it wasn’t like another ship was being dispatched to pick them up. By all appearances, they were stranded on the island of Malta and they were because God had work for Paul to do there before He could further make the way for Paul to get to Rome to testify before Caesar, something He promised Paul would happen.
What was God up to on Malta?
We find out in today’s passage as we continue to look at the final chapter of Acts. Look again at the scriptures here:
Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.”
But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.
There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and showed us generous hospitality for three days. His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him.
When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured. They honored us in many ways; and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed. After three months we put out to sea in a ship that had wintered in the island—it was an Alexandrian ship with the figurehead of the twin gods Castor and Pollux. Acts 28:3-11
In yesterday’s message, we read where the weather on the island was wet and cool. The islanders helped the marooned shipwreck passengers with fire and shelter from the elements. The fires needed wood to continue to burn and so we find the industrious apostle gathering brushwood and throwing it on the fire when all of a sudden, a venomous viper emerges and fastens itself on Paul’s hand in plain sight of the islanders.
It was at that moment, that we discover that the Maltese residents had their own belief system. For as they saw the viper’s fangs clamped down on Paul’s hand, their religion immediately labeled Paul as a guilty murderer worthy of death, a death that would be doled out by the goddess Justice. Their thoughts definitely tell us that they weren’t God believers and so they definitely had not received the Gospel.
It didn’t take God long to change their perspective for we read where Paul shakes the viper off of his hand and into the fire before going on about things with no ill effects. None. The islanders stood and waited for the venom to have an impact on the apostle, for Paul to swell up or suddenly drop dead as I’m sure they had seen many of their own do on the island. But they saw nothing happen, even after waiting a long time. They were in awe of this and so they believed that Paul was a god unto himself (small “g”).
Word about Paul began to spread and we read where it reached Publius, the “chief official of the island”, who promptly Paul and the others into his estate and showed them continued hospitality for three days.
Note that Publius wasn’t really expecting anything from Paul. The invitation was one based on a general goodness and willingness to host the marooned people from the destroyed ship.
While at Publius’ estate, Paul learned that the chief official’s father was ill and not doing well, “suffering from fever and dysentery”. The scriptures tell us that Paul “went in to see him”, praying over him before placing his hands upon him. Miraculously, the affliction left the official’s father and he was fully cured.
It was an amazing act of healing and deliverance from sickness. I’m sure Publius was very curious as to how Paul had the power to do what he did and I am equally sure that this allowed Paul to share the good news of God’s mercy and grace as well as the gift of salvation He offered through His Son Jesus. Again, God had Paul on Malta for a reason and Paul was seeing those reasons play out during his time there. The Lord’s purposes were being carried out and fulfilled.
Well, once word continued to spread about Paul, now adding that not only was he able to escape injury from a viper’s bite but heal by touch, we read where “the rest of the sick on the island came” to Paul and all were cured, just as Publius’ father had been. And because of the blessings that the Lord had brought to them through Paul, the Maltese islanders sought to honor him and those with him “in many ways” which included another Alexandrian ship to take to Rome that was “furnished us with the supplies” the crew and passengers needed.
The Lord had blessed the 276 shipwrecked people with safety on Malta and in turn blessed the Maltese hosts in a special way for their hospitality. And when it was all said and done, an incredible impact was made on everyone through His work in and through Paul.
Tomorrow, we’ll join him and those with him as they finally reach their destination and the place God wanted Paul to be.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a
comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com
No comments:
Post a Comment